Author: Justin Dake
From the idyllic French countryside to the Ozark Plateau and the rural outskirts of London, e-bikes are catching on all over the world.
It’s easy to see why: whether you’re commuting on city streets, chilling on a mountain bike trail, or tearing up a motocross course, hybrid e-bikes – crosses between dirt bikes and mountain bikes, like Sur Ron, Segway, and Talaria – are capable of doing it all with effortless aplomb. Not only that, they can be assembled right out of the box by anyone who can turn a wrench.
Unfortunately, they can also be walked away with by anyone who can pick themselves up off the floor.
As word spreads of how capable and valuable these e-bikes really are, would-be thieves and opportunists are popping up in increasingly remote locations. But with theft deterrence options from motorcycles and bicycles at your disposal, there are plenty of options for keeping your e-bike safe from thievery without going full James Bond.
This is E-Bike Weekly.
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E-Bike Videos
Weekly Meditation: Exploring Rural France
Depending on where your interests are, when someone says Sur Ron you’ll either picture a stunt crew riding through downtown Los Angeles or a mountain biker flying through the woods in Colorado. But e-bikes like these are quickly becoming a global phenomenon, and in this week’s meditation from Sur Ron owner and aspiring YouTuber Ju V, the fervent sound of electric acceleration fills the idyllic French countryside.
As a resident of the Midwestern United States, it always surprises me when certain parts of Europe go from urban city streets to rural farmlands to lush riverside forests in the blink of an eye. It’s an ADHD fever dream come true, outpaced only by a Sur Ron flying along in near silence. Ju V did come up hot on some hikers at around the 4 minute mark, but they didn’t seem too bothered, and good etiquette was shown by slowing down and saying hello.
With just 10 views and 5 subscribers, this is the most obscure video and channel we’ve ever featured on E-Bike Weekly. If you liked what you saw, go pump those numbers up so we can see more European Sur Ron adventures!
MEGAWATTZ Reveals Epic Earthtone Bike
Up and coming YouTuber MEGAWATTZ might have a silky smooth voice that could keep us enthralled even while reading the dictionary, but he also has a Sur Ron, which earns him a spot on E-Bike Weekly.
He’s been teasing upgrades for his bone-stock e-bike for a while on his channel, and now we can finally see the fruits of those labors. We got Wicked Wheel Works, we got Marzocchi, we got GritShift (hey, that’s us!), we got a custom powdercoated frame in Burnt Root Beer Brown, and it all comes together to create a slick earthtone colorway suited for shows and trails alike.
What doesn’t this beast have? Power mods, actually, but we can respect that. As racers ourselves, we always say to maximize handling long before buying more power. Improving brakes, suspension, and the rider triangle – positions of feet, seat, and hands – will make a bike truly fast, and we’re sure that when MEGAWATTZ does make a move on the power front, it’s gonna be well worth the wait.
Talaria Sting: From Delivery to Driving
In this video, creator Matthew McLaughlin takes delivery of a Talaria Sting in his driveway and immediately assembles it with minimal tools. In his words, if you can turn a screwdriver, you can build this bike!
The general process will be familiar to anyone who has taken delivery of a new mountain bike. Your Sting arrives in a box with the rear wheel already attached. The suspension is compressed by straps which are non-essential, so you can cut them off if you want, or if you have a way to relieve the tension, free straps!
It’s pretty much smooth sailing from there, and Matthew does a great job of covering all the details at a smooth pace. He even included forgetting to put the rear wheel spacers on, so he had to remove the wheel and install it for a second time. It’s an easy mistake to make, especially on your first time around, but thanks to Matthew including it in his video we’re unlikely to forget the spacers in the future.
We can’t wait to see what Talaria Sting shenanigans come from this channel next!
Sur Ron Handlebar and Headlight Upgrades
We love to extoll the benefits of improving the Sur Ron’s stock rider triangle. Changing the way your feet, seat, and hands hit the bike changes the entire riding experience, leading to more precise steering, better balance, and more weight transfer options – in other words, more places to put your butt.
Bearded Isuzu VehiCROSS owner Octane Motorwerks is here to show you how to install Pro Taper handlebars, a direct mount stem riser, and a GritShift Blinder LED Light Bar for lighting up the night. He says the result is a more comfortable riding position especially when you’re standing up, and we completely agree. We also noticed he’s also rocking a GritShift keychain! Want your own? Just buy something from our store!
E-Bikes for Sale
Low Miles, Low Price: 2021 Segway X160
With the name of a 2000s cultural revolution emblazoned on the frame, the Segway X160 makes a great first e-bike or a solid choice for experienced riders on tighter trails. It’s less potent than its X260 sibling but equally capable in many situations, especially in the woods.
This Segway X160 posted on Craigslist in Springfield, Missouri has only 37 miles on the odometer. Based on the description, it appears to have been owned by a shop or content creator who used it for “some suspension fitment testing and some videos we’re publishing at a later date.” Wait, does that mean there’s an e-bike content creator who doesn’t live in California or Florida?! WHO ARE YOU???
We’ll be hot on the case until we find an answer. In the meantime, the seller is willing to deliver within 3 hours of Springfield, Missouri if you pay gas, and it sounds like there might even be a little wiggle room on the price of $2,600 since there was no mention of “firm no lowballs I know what I got.”
Would we buy it? This Segway X160 seems like a solid deal all around. It’s best suited for a new e-bike rider, an experienced rider on tight off-road trails, or someone who would use it as, you know, an electric bicycle – something we often forget is possible amid a sea of performance modifications.
Big Mods, Big Money: 2020 Sur Ron X
Last week we talked about how e-bike owners are getting disproportionate amounts of money back from mods right now, and the trend continues this week with this Sur Ron X listed on Pinkbike for $7,000 firm in Mapleton, Utah – that’s 59% more than MSRP for a brand-new X!
7 grand is a lot of bones, but according to the description this bike is pretty decked out. You’re getting a BAC 4000 controller, Manitou Dorado forks, fully upgraded brakes, Warp 9 front wheel, titanium front and rear axles, and several other bolt-on accessories. We don’t see any notable damage beyond a few scratches on the swing arm, although we would want to know how many miles are on the bike and mods before committing.
We have it on good authority that Manitou Dorados are the way to go. How good? One accomplished racer backs them 100%.
Read about Suspension Tuning Tips from a Pro Racer Here
Is $7,000 a good price for a Sur Ron X? That’s up to you. Considering you’re getting anywhere from $1,000 to $2,000 of parts for free versus buying everything separately, the asking price of $7,000 firm doesn’t sound all that ridiculous. On the other hand, if this isn’t the exact set of mods you would buy, or if you’re convinced we’re in an e-bike value bubble right now, the idea of paying $2,500 more than the price of a brand new Sur Ron X does seem pretty nuts.
Of course, we saw last week that there’s also a strong market for Sur Ron spare parts right now, so if you didn’t like something on this bike you could always switch it out without taking too big of a hit. Or, if you’re a seasoned parts flipper, you could just about sell the mods and replace them with stock parts, pocketing the difference in the process.
Would we buy it? This does seem like a well-informed build, one that addresses most of the inherent weaknesses of a stock Sur Ron X. It looks ready for trails, hare scrambles, or even competitive track riding, and with slight tweaks it would make a killer e-supermoto for the road. If this would be your first e-bike, we would suggest getting something a little less modified unless you’re already into the motorcycle modding scene and understand what these mods are doing and why. And here on Planet Earth, unless this bike has super low miles, the price should really start with a 6 or even a 5.
E-Bike News and Events
The actual road in question. Martin Addison, Wikimedia Commons via CC BY-SA 2.0
Hide Your Kids, Hide Your E-Bikes
There was once a time when you could comfortably leave an e-bike parked untethered and unguarded without fear of it being stolen. E-bikes enjoyed relative obscurity just a few short years ago, but these days it doesn’t matter if you live in downtown San Diego or a tiny town on the outskirts of London, chances are someone a few doors down knows exactly what you have – and wants to have it for themselves.
Such was the case in the UK town of Essendon, population 580, where a Sur Ron LBX and an MXR 1300 turned up missing in the wee hours of May 4th, 2022.
The fact that both bikes were stolen could be a sign that a knee-jerk decision was made. The thief probably saw a bike with gold forks and wire wheels parked next to a Sur Ron and assumed it must be something similar, failing to realize that the MXR 1300 is an $800 children’s e-bike with 12”/10” wheels and a top speed of just 20 MPH. Or maybe this thief has deep-rooted family values, always on the lookout for ways to improve their kids’ lives.
If you think about it, it’s no wonder e-bikes are getting stolen more often these days. You tell any would-be motorcycle thief there’s a high-performance e-bike they can pick up and carry around by themselves and they’re going to need to call a doctor in four hours. That’s why it’s more important than ever to keep your e-bikes under lock and key, and at the intersection of mountain bikes and motorcycles, there are plenty of options when it comes to e-bike security.
@surronster 72v Sur Ron 😍 #ebike #fyp #supermoto ♬ original sound – Sur Ronster
E-Bike Weekly: March 27th, 2022
That concludes another edition of E-Bikes Weekly! GritShift is your source for complete bikes, parts, and accessories for Sur Ron, Segway, and Talaria e-bikes. Whether you want something or need something, chances are we have the answer in stock. Check out our storefront by clicking the button below.
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